


Immovable Object

by EmeraldTulip



Series: Curiosity Voyage [6]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Extended Scene, Gen, M/M, One Shot, mike's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 05:57:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19969165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldTulip/pseuds/EmeraldTulip
Summary: Regret has a bitter taste, and right now it sits heavy on Mike’s tongue.“Where’s Will?” Lucas frowns, peering into the front yard.Mike can only turn to look at him. “I messed up. I really messed up.”





	Immovable Object

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first of two short fics I have, each of which follows mike and will's thoughts about each other during their conflicts. this one is mike's. the next one will be will's.  
> enjoy!

Regret has a bitter taste, and right now it sits heavy on Mike’s tongue.

“Will!” he yells again, knowing it’s useless—there’s no way Will would hear him through the pounding rain and turn back, even if he wanted to.

The door swings open behind him. Lucas.

“Where’s Will?” he frowns, peering into the front yard.

Mike can only turn to look at him. “I messed up, Lucas. I really messed up.”

* * *

“Mike, it can’t be _that_ bad!” Lucas insists, practically screaming in order to be heard over the storm. “Seriously, you weren’t even this worried when El dumped you, calm down!”

Logically, Mike knows that Lucas is making sense. Will is his best friend, and that bond can stand the test of an argument.

But honestly, can Mike even call Will his best friend anymore? He’s hardly seen him all summer, other than a few movie trips, and then he goes and ignores him, then says _that_. And this is _different_ than El, because…

Well. Mike’s not exactly sure why it’s different yet, but he knows it _is_.

“It’s _worse_ , Lucas,” he replies simply. “I said some messed up stuff that I shouldn’t have.”

He can feel Lucas’ doubt permeating the air. “Mike, it’s _Will._ Whatever happened, you guys will get over it. You _know_ him, he’s… he’s _nice_ and, uh, forgiving.”

“Maybe,” Mike huffs. “But maybe I don’t deserve that.”

* * *

‘Nice and forgiving,’ Lucas said? Well. Chalk Mike up as skeptical.

Will is beating the absolute _shit_ out of Castle Byers. The metal of the baseball bat glints even in the dark, and Mike watches in horror as he lunges forward again, water dripping from his hair—and then stops, shuddering in the rain.

“Will!” he yelps, tripping over branches and his own feet in an effort to get to him.

“He’s back,” Will says in greeting, not meeting his gaze. ‘The Mind Flayer is back.”

He’s trembling from head to toe, but his face is absolutely neutral. Every finger on his hands is twitching at his side, but Mike just stares in shock at Will’s dead eyes.

“Lucas, run back to the house and get Will’s jacket,” Mike orders.

“But—“

“ _Go_!” Mike yells, and that seems to snap Lucas out of his shock, at least enough so that he can spin on his heel and bolt back through the woods.

Mike hears shuffling behind him and turns just in time to watch Will’s knees give out. His best friend stumbles to the ground, leaning against the wreckage of his safe haven and tucking his knees under his chin. He’s shaking, and his breath is coming out in puffs loud enough for Mike to hear over the thunder.

Mike has so many questions, but when he opens his mouth, the words tumble over each other.

“Hey,” he chokes out instead, easing himself down next to Will. “Just breathe, okay?” When Will doesn’t heed his words, he tries to touch his wrist, to show him that it’s alright, but Will just yanks it away. Mike feels horribly guilty. “Will—“

“Don’t,” Will says softly, and his voice has an edge to it that makes Mike’s hair stand up. He’s never felt this way around Will before—in _danger_.

Even so, he tries again. “Will, I—“

Will finally meets his eyes, and he doesn’t need words to shut down Mike’s sentence because that says it all.

In this moment, Mike doesn’t see Will Byers, his best friend. He sees a broken, glued-together human being, one betrayal away from snapping completely.

At the movies, if it’s a scary one, Mike will rest his hand on the armrest between them and stretch out a pinky—for Will if he gets startled, sure, but it’s also for himself. It’s a lifeline; a way to help remind Mike what’s real. And most days, Will simply crosses his own pinky over Mike’s.

So Mike lets his hand sit on the ground between them, pinky outstretched.

When Lucas comes back, Will hasn’t moved a muscle.

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are, as always, appreciated.  
> find me on tumblr, my main is [@perseusjaxon](https://perseusjaxon.tumblr.com) and my writing blog is [@lowriting](https://lowriting.tumblr.com)!


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